Lost in The Shadows
by WritingGirl78
Summary: When Dimitri starts to get death threats from the Strigoi he left behind, Rose, Lissa, Christian, and Dimitri set off to Russia to find the mysterious Strigoi that calls himself The Shadow and kill him. Rated T for violence and romance, and I'm paranoid.
1. Chapter 1

Many things in my life are screwed up…okay. _A LOT _of things are screwed up.

With Lissa as queen and Dimitri and my guardian statuses renewed, we've been getting a lot of crap about it. Someone went so far as to trying to kill Dimitri and I, but Lissa had them sentenced to prison.

I was standing through another boring meeting at the court, almost falling asleep, when Dimitri poked me and gave me a look that said, "Stay awake."

I softly sighed and straightened my posture, staring straight ahead and trying (but failing epically) to keep a guardian face.

Finally, after many hours of debate, the meeting came to an end and Lissa, Christian, Dimitri, and I walked out.

"I thought _she'd_ never stop talking." Christian said, talking about Adrian's mom.

I felt a pang of guilt. I still felt like I had ruined Adrian's life.

"At least it's over now." Lissa said, smiling at Christian.

"Come on. I want to take you out to dinner." He said, taking her hand.

"You know you guys can drop the guardian act." Lissa said.

"Thank you, your highness." I said sarcastically.

"Cut it out, Rose. Not you too." She laughed.

I smiled and looked up at Dimitri.

His face looked extremely thoughtful and it took me several tries to get him to snap out of the trance.

"Hey. Hey. Hey, comrade." I said, snapping my fingers in front of his face.

He shook his head and stared down at me. "Sorry, Roza." He said softly.

"What's up, Dimitri. You seem…out of it." Lissa asked.

"Nothing. Just…tired, I guess."

No matter how mature Dimitri acted, he was still twenty-four (going on twenty-five) and still talked like a teenager at times.

We arrived at a very expensive restaurant and since Lissa was queen, we immediately got permitted.

Dimitri and I slid into one side of the booth and Christian and Lissa into the other.

The waitress brought us peanuts and took our drink orders.

Dimitri seemed overly tired and rested his head against his hand throughout most of the meal, only lifting it to look around for signs of danger.

Once dinner was finished, we escorted Christian and Lissa to their bedroom and walked across the hall to ours.

"What is with you?" I asked Dimitri as we walked into our bedroom.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, sitting on the bed and talking his shoes off.

I hated it when he answered a question with a question.

"You've barely said a word all evening."

He sighed and shook his head sadly.

"What's wrong?"

"Rose…" He stopped and instead handed me a letter.

_Guardian Belikov,_

_I understand that you have fully regained your guardian status. Congratulations to you on that, by the way, but I haven't written this to you on behalf of your…reputation. Remember the time you were in Russia? And the time you attempted to kill me? I am writing to tell you that I won't stop hunting you down until you are killed. Nowhere you go will be safe enough from me. You are no longer one of us…just a mere dhampir. You not longer have the glorious strength and abilities that we do. I would say that that is a very, very bad thing on your behalf. You will be getting regular updates from me about how much time you have._

_Sincerely,_

_ The Shadow._

"Who the hell is The Shadow?" I asked.

He shrugged and took the note back. "He's a strigoi. That's all I know."

"Does the handwriting look familiar?"

"A little, but not too much."

"How dare he send you something like this!" I said, feeling anger boiling inside of me.

This was complete Rose Hathaway anger; not Spirit infused from Lissa since our bond was broken.

"Roza, calm down."

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down! Someone sent you a freakin' death threat and is hunting you down. Dimitri, someone is trying to kill you."

"Rose, there's nothing we can do. He can't get into the wards."

"But a human can."

"There's nothing we can do." He repeated.

"Yes. There is."

"And what's that?"

I looked straight at him. "Find him…and kill him."

"We can't do that. We have to watch Christian and Lissa."

"We'll take them with us. They know how to fight. You and I taught them over the summer."

"Rose, this is insane. This is..._ludicrous_."

"Dimitri, I'm not going to let him kill you. I've come too close to losing you once already." I added softly.

He wrapped his arms around me tightly. "He's probably still in Russia."

"Good. We can visit your family while we're there."

"We can't."

"Why?"

"They think I'm dead."

"You can show them you're back."

He sighed. "Alright. We'll talk to Christian and Lissa tomorrow. Let's get some sleep."

I nodded and we changed into pajamas.

I laid down in Dimitri's arms and rested my head where his neck met his shoulder. "I love you." I whispered.

He tilted my chin up and kissed me. "I love you too, Roza."

I closed my eyes and practically passed out in his arms.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Dimitri and I were back to guarding Lissa and Christian.

When they went out to lunch, we dropped the bomb on them.

"You got a _death threat_ from a Strigoi in Russia?" Lissa exclaimed.

Dimitri nodded. "Rose and I think it would be best if we went to Russia and found this…_Shadow_ and staked him."

"But what about us?" Christian asked.

"We need you to come with us. We taught you how to fight and you know what to do." I said.

"But I'm the queen. I can't just leave!"

"Queen Tatiana left all the time." I pointed out.

Lissa sighed. "When are you planning on leaving?"

"The note was sent yesterday. They're probably still in Russia." Dimitri explained.

"We're also going to visit his family…who doesn't know he's still alive." I said.

Lissa's eyes went wide. "They don't know you're still alive?"

He shook his head sadly. "No. They had a funeral for me when Rose met them."

"I think it would be best if you did go see them. They must be suffering while thinking you're dead."

I noticed Christian was silent. "Hey, pyro. You okay over there?" I asked.

He shot a glare at me. "Yeah, I'm fine, _Guardian Hathaway_."

He knew how much I hated being called that and I shot him a glare as well.

"So, are we going or not?" Lissa asked.

"We have to, but don't tell the Council that we talked you into it or we'd be fired." I said.

**Dimitri's POV**

I was going to see my family again.

After all these years, I was going back to see them.

I'd get to meet my nephew and niece, see how my grandmother was doing…and get to see my mother.

I shivered as we boarded the sixteen hour flight and sat down next to Rose.

Christian and Lissa were sitting in front of us and immediately, Lissa fell asleep on him.

"Are you alright?" Rose asked, looking over at me.

I sighed. "I don't know, Roza. I'm nervous and scared. What if they decide not to believe me?"

"A mother knows who their son is. I know she'll believe you."

"I hope you're right.

***Sixteen Hours Later***

We were finally standing outside of my house. Nothing has changed at all.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"I'll get it." I heard Victoria yell.

She opened the door and gasped.

"Hello, Victoria." I said.

"MOM!" She screamed.

"What is it?"

She came to the door. "Dimitri?" She asked.

"I'm back."

She smiled and grabbed a hold of me, despite being so much shorter than me, and held me in her arms. "My baby boy is back." She sobbed.

I swallowed and she pulled away, wiping a tear from my face. "We thought you were dead." She said. "Rose told us you were Strigoi."

"I was, but she saved me. She changed me back." I said, pointing to Lissa.

She had tears pouring down her face and she smiled. "I'm Lissa Dragomir." She said.

"Aren't you the queen?"

She nodded. "But please, don't let anyone know while I'm here."

"Where's Rose?" My mother asked.

"Right here." Rose said, stepping next to me and taking my hand.

"Come in. I'm sure you'd like to meet your niece and nephew." Mom said to me.

I nodded and my whole family bombarded me with hugs and kisses.

"Is this…my uncle?" My nephew, Paul, asked.

I knelt down in front of him. "It's nice to finally meet you." I said.

He smiled and gave me a hug.

I pulled away and Karolina handed me a baby. I looked down into her small face and she smiled.

"Dimitri, this is Zoya." Karolina said.

I smiled down at the baby. "I've missed so much."

"Yes, you have." Mom said.

I handed the baby back to my sister and sat down on the couch next to Rose.

Lissa and Christian sat on the floor and Lissa held Zoya.

"Now, explain to us how this happened." My grandmother said in Russian.

I took a deep breath. "Alright." I said in English, knowing perfectly well that she knew the language.

Over the course of the next three hours, Rose and I took turns telling the story. We started from where we were both in America and how Lissa changed me back with spirit.

"You need to meet Oksana." Sonya said to Lissa.

Lissa nodded and leaned back against Christian. "I should. Rose will have to introduce us."

Then, we explained everything else, excluding the romance.

"Well, that was enough stories to last us a few years." Mom said.

Everyone laughed.

"Your room is still here. Rose knows a lot about you as a child."

"Oh, boy." I said, looking at Rose.

"Let's show each of you a room and then we'll celebrate tomorrow."

"Goodnight, everyone." I said.

Sonya showed Christian and Lissa a guest bedroom and I led Rose to my bedroom.

"Well, it wasn't that bad." Rose said as I was holding her in bed.

"No. It wasn't." I replied.

"I wonder if they'll get everyone together again to celebrate."

"I don't know."

"I remember when I first came here. I had been attacked by Strigoi and used spirit to summon ghosts. I passed out and Abe and Sydney had driven me here, because I had been saying your name in my sleep. Abe knew where your family was. I woke up in this bed."

"You did?"

"I did. I kept trying to smell your scent on it…it was faint, but still there." She said, turning around to face me.

I kissed her forehead. "I never thought I'd be holding you in here."

She smiled. "Me neither."

I kissed her again, this time on the lips, and pulled her onto my chest.

We kissed more and eventually, she slipped off my chest and into my arms.

"I love you. I never want to go through anything like that again." She whispered breathlessly.

"I promise it won't ever happen again." I murmured.

She nestled into my arms and I held her for a few hours before I finally fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Dimitri's POV**

"_The prisoner is secured, Dimitri." Nathan said, appearing behind me as I looked out the window._

"_Excellent. Is she awake?"_

"_No. She's still out cold. She'll have quite a bump on her head."_

"_She was my student. She'll be able to handle it."_

"_Of course. I'll just have to see if she'll be able to handle me."_

_I whirled around, slamming him against the wall. "You lay a hand on her and I'll kill you. Do you understand?"_

_Nathan didn't even look afraid…just amused. "I was joking. You take things too seriously. Lighten up."_

_I glared at him and threw him aside. "You stay away from her."_

"_Yes, _master_." He said mockingly._

_I walked down the hallway and unlocked Rose's door…only to have something thrown at me._

I flew up in bed, breathing hard and sweat sticking my hair to my forehead.

"Dimitri, are you okay?" Rose asked groggily, opening her eyes to look up at me.

I sighed and laid back down, pulling Rose close to my chest. "Yes. I'm alright."

She snuggled into my arms and fell back asleep. I attempted as well, but couldn't.

With another sigh, I stepped out of bed and walked downstairs, barefoot and in sweats and a t-shirt.

I was surprised to find my mother sitting in the front room, looking at a book. When I got closer, I noticed it was a photo album of me.

"I put this together after Rose came. I wanted to remember you." She said, not looking up.

I sat down next to her. "What exactly happened when she came?"

"She gave us the news…and we had a celebration. Rose told us about the battle and then we hammered her with questions about your relationship."

"I see."

"What are you doing up?"

"Nothing. Just couldn't sleep."

"Dimitri, I'm your mother. I know when something is wrong. Why are you awake at two in the morning?"

"Just a memory."

"About?"

"When I was Strigoi."

She sighed and set the photo album aside. She took my hands in hers and looked up at me with a smile. "Dimitri, do you know how much Rose wanted to find you? She would have given _anything_ to find you. It killed her to know that you were Strigoi. It killed her to know that she would have to stake you. But do you know why she did it?"

"Why?"

"She loves you. She remembered you as you were, excuse me, as you _are_. She knew that you weren't yourself."

"I'm back now. I'm not going to let anything like that happen again."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around me. "I love you so much, Dimitri. I'm so proud of you."

I hugged her back and when I pulled away, she wiped tears from her face.

"I'm going back to sleep." I said.

"Goodnight, love."

I silently made my way back upstairs and laid down, falling asleep with Rose in my arms.

**Rose's POV**

A celebration was held the next day…one that celebrated Dimitri's "resurrection."

I saw him smile more than he ever had at the court and St. Vladimir's combined.

Drinking water (I swore to myself I would never drink vodka again), I sat by Lissa and Christian, listening to everyone around me speak gibberish. The only time I ever got up to socialize was when someone in a bright purple suit and scarf showed up.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed.

My father seemed amused. "Running off to Russia again? I thought you learned the first time." He said.

Dimitri looked over curiously, but I waved at him to continue to talk with others.

"Dimitri wanted to visit his family. They didn't know he was alive." I said.

"Hmm. What would your mother say?"

"Lissa and Christian agreed to come. We didn't force them."

"Of course not."

"I doubt you just came here to ask what I was doing in Russia. So, spit out what you're going to say.The suspense is _killing_ me." I said sarcastically.

"I came about the Shadow."

Immediately, everyone went dead quiet. I heard Dimitri's mom and a few other women gasp. I glanced at Dimitri and his face was stone hard.

"What about him?" I asked slowly.

"He's somewhere in Siberia. Way far up north in it in fact."

"And you came all this way to tell us this, why?"

"Rose, do you honestly think I'd let you go without protection?"

"I don't need protection. I have Dimitri."

"But _Dimitri_ can't keep you protected from the Shadow. The Shadow is even more dangerous than Dimitri was as a Strigoi. And who's to say that he won't trip up and become one of them again."

My jaw dropped and I stared at him in disbelief. "You come all this way to say we need your help and then you start downing my boyfriend? What the hell is wrong with you?"

Abe smirked. "No. I'm trying to reason with you, Rose."

"He's right, Rose." Dimitri said, appearing behind me and putting his hand on my shoulder.

I shrugged it off. "I don't think so, zmey."

"Rose, please. I'm your father. Don't call me that."

"Yeah. A father that shows up out of the blue."

"Rose." Dimitri warned, giving me a look.

I ignored him. "I grew up without either of my parents. I think I can take care of myself."

"Rose, I can help you."

"How so?"

"I can get you exactly where the Shadow is and I can help you kill him."

"How exactly are you going to do that? Blow him up? I think you used enough explosives breaking me out of prison."

He let out an exaggerated sigh. "Rose, you're acting like a child."

"Whatever." I glared and crossed my arms.

"Anyway, I have a plan."

"Okay? Let's here it."


	4. Chapter 4

**Dimitri's POV**

I watched as Rose paced the room in front of me, looking ticked out of her mind.

"He shouldn't have said that to you! He never should have brought back all those things that you've tried to forget!" She exclaimed.

"Rose, it's alright." I said.

"No, it's not _alright!_" She shrieked.

I sighed and stood, brushing hair that had escaped from the hairtie out of my face. "Roza, he was right."

"I don't give a damn if he was right or not! He shouldn't have said all those things to you!"

I placed my hands on her shoulders, stopping her from pacing and possible wearing a hole in the floor. "His plan was pretty good."

Abe's plan turned out to be sneaking into The Shadow's hideout and seeing who all is there. Abe said that there would probably be lots of Strigoi, but we'd be able to take care of them easily.

"_The hideout is in Siberia. It's hidden by plants that block all possible sunlight from the place." Abe had said._

"_I thought they didn't have plants in Siberia." Rose said._

_I rolled my eyes. "There are, but they're very few."_

_Abe continued. "Your best time to sneak there would be during the daytime. The Strigoi wouldn't expect you to come and you'd be able to get a good look at the inside without being seen…that is if Rose can be quiet long enough."_

"_HEY!" Rose yelled._

_Everyone laughed._

"His plan sounds like a freakin' suicide mission." Rose said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"A suicide mission means that you go there and want to die. We're not going there to die. We'll make it." I murmured, brushing my lips against hers.

She sighed and wrapped her arms around my waist. "I hope you're right." She whispered into my chest.

**Rose's POV**

We left early in the morning around four. Olena had packed us backpacks of supplies.

"It was very nice to meet you, Lissa." Olena said, embracing her.

"The pleasure's all mine." Liss replied.

Christian accepted an awkward hug from her and then she pulled Dimitri into her arms. "Be safe, love. Come back to us."

Dimitri nodded. "I will. I love you."

"I love you too."

Then, she gave me a hug. "Goodbye, Rose. Take good care of my son."

"I will. I promise." I said.

We walked out of the door for possibly our last time…

**Lissa's POV**

I never knew how cold Russia could be until we arrived in Siberia. By the time we got out of the car, my teeth were chattering, despite my heavy coat.

"Do you want my coat?" Christian asked.

I shook my head. "You need it."

He shrugged and we followed Dimitri.

"He seems a little upset." I whispered to Rose.

She nodded. "It's just because he didn't expect to leave home again so soon."

I suddenly noticed that Dimitri had a stake in his hand and was stopped in front of us.

We all stopped and watched him.

In half a second, he whirled around and yanked someone out of the bushes.

"So the rumors are true. The grand Dimitri Belikov is dhampir again." The Strigoi sneered.

"That is enough, Tyrone." Dimitri hissed back.

"Heard you're going after The Shadow. Good luck. This guy's no newbie to the leader business."

"Where is he?"

"Why the heck would I tell you?"

Dimitri's stake hand was resting above the Strigoi's "heart."

Tyrone's eyes went wide. "He…he's at an abandoned military base. Just about twenty miles that way."

"Told you we should have kept the car." Rose muttered under her breath.

"Take us to it."

"Never."

Dimitri pushed down on the stake. "Take us to it now or I'll kill you."

Tyrone's eyes looked defeated and he nodded. "Damn you, Dimitri."

Dimitri looked satisfied and let the Strigoi go. "Come on. He won't try anything funny."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey! I know I've been gone for a really long time, but school was crazy and then I had LOTS of things happening! So...here's a little something so you know I haven't forgotten about you!**

"I _told_ you we should have kept the car!" I said for the millionth time.

"Your _girlfriend _is really starting to get on my nerves." Tyrone said as Dimitri kept a hold of the ropes bounding his wrists.

"You and me both." Christian said from behind us.

"Rose, that's enough." Dimitri said.

"Turn here. It's right up there."

We turned left and then the military base came into view.

"Are there any guards?" Dimitri asked.

"Up in the towers there and patrolling the ground."

"I will follow you up there and hide while you tell them that you have visitors."

"The Shadow never allows visitors. They'll know something is up."

"Do it."

Tyrone growled. "Fine."

As we got closer, Dimitri told us to wait in the shadows as they moved closer to the base.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Lissa asked.

"Belikov knows what he's doing." Christian replied.

Twenty minutes passed and then a van came speeding for us. It screeched to a halt in front of us and Dimitri rolled down the window.

"Get in…hurry."

I threw myself up front with him and Lissa and Christian in back. Dimitri floored it and we sped off.

"Did you get in?" I asked.

Dimitri nodded as he drove.

"Who is The Shadow?"

"I didn't get close to him."

"Why?"

"I was recognized by someone and they sounded an alarm."

"Damn it. We're being followed aren't we?"

"Yes. I had enough time to steal this and come get you. We'll lose them…sooner or later."

This was the first time I had ever heard Dimitri sound unsure.

"Um, Dimitri? We've got company." Lissa said.

Dimitri swore in Russian and sharply turned us to the left. Christian wasn't wearing his seatbelt and flew across the back.

"Watch it, Hathaway." He growled as I laughed in the front seat. He pulled himself back on the seat and buckled.

"Where's Tyrone?" I asked.

"He ran off as soon as he got inside."

"They're gone." Lissa said.

All of us relaxed as we drove back to Dimitri's village.

"Back so soon?" Dimitri's mother answered.

"We've been gone two days." He replied wearily.

She let us in and we practically collapsed in the front room.

"Did you find him?"

"We know where he's staying." I said, laying against Dimitri's arm.

"That's a start."

"We ran into one of my old…_friends_." Dimitri said.

"Friends as in when you were gone?"

"Yes."

The room grew oddly quiet until the sound of crying broke it.

"Oh, Zoya's awake." His mother said.

"Where's Karolina?"

"She's working. Would you mind feeding her a bottle?"

"Not at all."

She disappeared and then handed Dimitri his niece before giving him a bottle. Dimitri gently held the baby as she drank her bottle.

"I never expected to see you doing this." Christian said.

Dimitri raised an amused eyebrow at him. "You never seen me at home then."

A few hours later, we all said our goodnights and went to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

"Rose, Roza…wake up." I said, shaking her.

She moaned and flipped over, her hand narrowly missing my nose. I rolled my eyes and shook her again.

"What?" She mumbled irritably.

"We've got to go. Lissa has to get back to the court."

"Why?"

"Something has happened. The security was breeched the other night by at least twenty Strigoi."

Rose flew up in bed, her head colliding with mine.

"What are you doing? We've got to go!" She exclaimed, throwing on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"Calm down. The other guardian's took care of it, but we need to get back."

"What about the Shadow?"

"He'll come for me."

She nodded and brushed out her long hair. "Let's go."

We met Lissa and Christian outside to say our goodbyes to my family.

"Good luck, Dimka." My mother said, kissing me on both cheeks.

"See ya around." Viktoria said, hugging me.

I bent down and gave Paul a pat on the head. "You take good care of them. You're the man of the house until I return again."

Paul beamed happily and nodded. "I will."

I stood. "_Dasvidaniya_." Goodbye.

"_Dasvidaniya."_

I climbed into the driver's seat of a rented vehicle.

"You have a wonderful family, Dimitri." Lissa said as she sat next to Christian.

I smiled sadly and started the car. "Thank you. I think so too."

Rose gave me a concerned look, which I waved off as we began driving.

"At least thirty minutes before we get to the airport and then a _very_ long flight before we get back." I said, speeding down the road.

"Great." Rose sighed, drumming her fingers against the door.

**Rose's POV**

"Are you alright?" I asked, sliding next to Dimitri.

He shrugged and glanced around the airplane, his eyes sweeping and studying every single person in the aisles and seats.

"Do you want to talk?"

He stopped looking around and sighed, bringing his full attention to me. "Before now, I could only think about how my family would probably shun me away whenever I came back. Now, I realize that my past mistakes don't matter to them. They're my family and they'll welcome me back…no matter what I do."

"I've met them before and I couldn't understand why you were so scared to see them."

"I guess it was just the fact that I had been dead to them and then suddenly I come back. It's a Lazarus deal."

"Lazarus?"

"In the Bible there is a man who is brought back to life. His name was Lazarus."

"I didn't think you were religious."

"Rose, whenever I was younger I was Russian Orthodox."

"What happened?"

"I…don't know. I'll reconcile whenever I'm ready…but not now."

"Why not now?"

"I'm not ready."

I nodded and looked out the window, feeling Dimitri's hand close around mine. As the flight took off, I felt myself starting to feel a little scared. I sat up a bit straighter and Dimitri noticed, immediately taking a full sweep of the airplane and going into guardian mode. I looked over my chair and saw Lissa and Christian asleep.

"I think everything is alright, but I don't want to take any chances." Dimitri said, standing.

"Be careful."

He smiled and pecked me on the mouth. "I'm always careful."

**Dimitri's POV**

With my stake drawn, I walked down the aisles and did another sweep of the plane. I knew that if any Strigoi were on here…we had to be careful, because there was no way off this plane. I couldn't see anyone on here and I walked into first class, scanning the seats there and spotting a couple Strigoi. Too bad we were on a plane...or I would have had these two dead in a heartbeat.

_Damn. She was right._ I thought, turning and running back to Rose.

"What's wrong?" She asked, seeing my expression.

"Get up there with Lissa. We have Strigoi in first class." I said to her.

She nodded and woke up Christian, explaining the situation. By that time Lissa was awake and paled a couple shades.

"Everything will be alright." Rose said calmly to her.

She nodded and as Christian sat next to me, one of the Strigoi came walking back. I straightened, knowing he'd notice us…but he walked right by without a glance.

"Nice job, Liss." Rose said.

"Did she—?" I began.

"Yes. She did it before at the prison." Rose replied, flagging down a flight attendant and getting a water bottle from her.

"Interesting." I murmured, my eyes looking for the Strigoi.

After we landed, we had transportation immediately waiting for us. Rose and I escorted Lissa and Christian into the limo and we sat down.

"Now, tell us what happened." Janine Hathaway said.

Next to her was a guardian I hadn't seen before and it took me a moment to realize that they were new.

"We went to Russia and whenever we got there we went to Dimitri's family." Rose began.

"Afterwards, we got word of a few Strigoi. Of course, when they said a few…they really meant a lot. We got to the base and I had to steal a car to get away. Once we reached home, we took off the next day. Rose began getting a dangerous feeling and I found Strigoi in first class. They did not see us thanks to Queen Vasilisa." I said.

"Is that everything?" Janine asked.

"Yes. That is everything. Now, tell us about the breech."

"While the court was waking up, the code red alarms went off. All guardians got ready and we were attacked on the lawn. All the Strigoi were taken care of, but we lost a few guardians in the process. We think the Strigoi used the same procedure that they used at the academy."

"They got in from humans, didn't they?"

"That's the only way they could have broken the wards."

I nodded, listening to Rose and Lissa whisper. "The queen is safe to return now, right?"

"I think so, but we'll have extra guardians helping Rose out."

Rose nodded and her mother looked surprised.

"What? You're not going to argue?" Janine asked.

"I'd rather have Lissa and I both alive than us be attacked and killed." Rose said.

Her mother nodded. "Alright. You all should get some rest. It's going to be a busy day tomorrow."

As Rose was getting dressed, I sat down on the bed and closed my eyes, thinking about the LONG day ahead of us.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" She asked, sitting next to me in sweats and a tank top.

"Possibly. Are you sure _you're_ ready?"

She laughed and crawled into my lap. "I'm always ready."

I cracked a smile. "Maybe so."

She looked up at me and kissed me. I pulled her against me and we fell backwards, still kissing.

"Let's enjoy our night of rest." She whispered, taking off my shirt.

I didn't refuse...although we were too caught up in each other to sleep.

**Rose's POV**

When Mom says "Busy day", she normally means A-Day-Without-Rest. Dimitri and I were up at eight and guarding Christian and Lissa by nine...PM that is. I had met my new "squad" and learned that they were new graduates from St. Vladimir's.

I had a girl named Alicia Macke, a boy named Enrique Villamor, and another boy named Andrew Mattix.

I met them outside Lissa's bedroom and we made quick introductions before we began our duties.

"So, Rose…is it true that you have killed too many Strigoi to count?" Andy asked casually...and a bit cockily.

"Yes. I can show you the mark if you want." I said the last part sarcastically.

"Hmm…you sure your _boyfriend_ would like that?"

I glared at him. "Listen here, you cocky little bastard. I'm your leader right now. Knock of the attitude."

"Yes, _Guardian_ _Hathaway_."

I sighed and rubbed my neck, still feeling sleep deprived from last night.

"What's wrong? Too busy sleeping with Belikov?"

I gave him a glare that immediately made him pale a few shades. He began glancing around at anything but me.

I sighed again. This squad was going to kill me…and if they didn't…I was going to kill them.


	7. Chapter 7

Following Lissa around all day was like watching grass grow. I was so bored and tired that there were plenty of times I felt like sleeping. Once it was lunch, we met up with Dimitri and Christian.

"Anything happening?" Christian asked as he bit into a hamburger.

"No." I replied, glancing around the café.

"That's funny."

"Why's that, pyro?"

"We've had _lots_ of exciting things happening."

"Attacking the guardians with paintball guns isn't something I'd call _exciting_." Dimitri said, wiping something red off his face.

"Wait. You _attacked _guardians with paintball guns?" I exclaimed.

Lissa laughed as she took a bite of her salad.

"Oh, yes. Kenneth and I had a blast. Dimitri and Ericka weren't expecting it at all." Christian said.

Dimitri rolled his eyes and gave him an exasperated look. "One minute, Ericka and I were talking, and the next we were getting pelted with paintballs."

"Man, I wish something like that would have happened in the court. They wouldn't shut up as they were discussing some issue."

"Like you even paid attention!" Lissa said.

"I did when they started talking about the battle at St. Vladimir's."

The other three went quiet as we shared a saddened silence.

"There was an attack on an academy in Europe. Over twenty were captured or killed." Lissa said softly.

"And someone brought up the battle. People think that the Strigoi are getting stronger." I said.

"They've always been getting 'stronger'." Dimitri said, his eyes sweeping the café.

"Someone has risen to power…and they're attacking academies."

"It's the Shadow." Dimitri said.

"That's what I was thinking." Lissa said.

"Do you think St. Vladimir's will get attacked again?" I asked.

"It's very possible." Christian said.

"But what does he hope to accomplish by attacking the academies?"

"He's probably getting information on Dimitri to use against him." Lissa suggested.

"He already knows where I am." Dimitri said, looking a little annoyed.

"Yes, but if he gets more information on you, maybe he can do something that will destroy your guardian status."

"There's nothing I've done that will destroy my guardian status."

"What about you and Rose at the academy?"

"What can they do? Rose is eighteen now. It's no longer illegal."

"Only a few people know about the academy anyways," I said, wanting to get off the subject. "There's _no_ way people will find out."

Everyone shrugged and we finished lunch in silence.

"I'll see you in a few hours." Dimitri said, giving me a kiss.

"Wait," I caught his arm. "Are you sure they can't do anything?"

He smiled softly. "I'm sure. I've never done anything that's illegal…at least _too_ illegal. Don't worry, Roza."

**Dimitri's POV**

As Rose walked away, I dropped the act and sighed, knowing that somewhere out there, I had someone willing to do anything to knock me down.

"Dimitri, come on!" Christian yelled, gesturing me over to Ericka and Kenneth.

With another sigh, I followed them outside.

"Did you make it back to the court alright?" My mother asked as we Skyped.

"There were Strigoi on our flight back, but Lissa disguised us just in time." I replied.

"That's great. I'm glad you're okay."

"I'm glad the queen is okay. It had me worried whenever Rose got a weird feeling."

She nodded and I saw Viktoria pass behind her. "Hey, Dimka!" She said, waving.

"Hello."

"I see you got back okay."

"Yes. Everything worked out just fine."

"Bye!"

She walked off screen and my mother laughed. "Everyone is missing you terribly. Even Yeva is."

"Oh, really? She's told you guys that?"

"No. She's looking through your photo album."

"I see."

She dropped the happy look. "Dimitri, everyone missed you terribly. We could hardly believe what Rose was telling us."

I nodded. "I missed all of you. I'm surprised you actually took me back."

"Dimitri, I know my son. You were dead and then you came back. I'm so relieved that you were changed back."

"Me too, Mom." I hardly ever referred to her as 'mom'.

"Now, I've got to do some things. I'm sure it's about time for bed over there."

"Yes."

"Goodnight, Dimitri. I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you. Goodnight, Mother."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

She signed off and I sat back, pulling the headset off and sighing.

Rose walked out of the bathroom, towel drying her hair. "You okay?"

"Of course. I'm fine." I said, trying to hide an envelope.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

She walked over and moved my hand, picking up the envelope. "It's from him, isn't it?"

"He's admitting to attacking the academies…and that he's now in the states."

"Damn! What is his problem? What did you do to him?"

"I've done lots of things to him."

"You remember?"

I clenched my teeth together. "His real name is Jerome Navishkov. He was part of my…_band_ of Strigoi. I am the cause of death of both is lover and his brother. Their names were Liam Navishkov and Andrea Richardson."

"Why did you kill them?"

"They were becoming threats and conspiring to kill me. I had to take the threats out."

I hardly ever shared my time as a Strigoi with Rose…but whenever I did it was important.

"I would have done the same thing."

"Not the way I killed them." I said softly, looking out the window.

"And how did you kill them?"

I pressed my lips together. "I locked them in a room with a skylight."

"They died from sun."

"Yes. Slowly…painfully."

"What did Jerome do whenever he found out?"

"He swore that he would hunt me down and kill me. Whenever he found out I was dhampir again…he knew it would be his chance to strike."

"I see."

I looked up at her. "Roza, don't tell anyone, please."

"You don't need to tell me not to. I would never tell anyone."

"Not even Lissa?"

"Unless it mattered, no."

I pulled her lips to mine. "That's all I ask." I whispered.

"_Take them into the sky room." I growled to the Strigoi holding Liam and Andrea._

"_It wasn't us! I swear!" Andrea screamed, struggling against Peter._

_He struck her against the head and she fell quiet, whimpering._

"_Yes, Dimitri. They'll be gone very soon."_

"_I hope you burn in Hell, Belikov." Liam growled._

"_We're going to end up in the same place, after all." I said with a sneer._

_Peter and Maverick drug the two down into the room that I was above. I turned on a speaker as they chained the two up._

"_I do hope you enjoy your last few minutes. The sun will begin to rise very soon." I said._

"_Jerome will come after you! And when he does he'll do the same thing to you!" Liam shouted, struggling against the restraints._

_I laughed. "He'll be no trouble to take out." I shut off the speaker and put down the protective shield as Peter and Maverick came to join me. Five minutes later, the sun came up…and the Strigoi below were no more._

I shot up in bed, gasping as if I had been underwater. Sweat was sticking my hair to my forehead and I glanced around, making sure that I was still in the court. With a sigh, I stood up, knowing I wouldn't get back to sleep. I walked over to the desk and sat down, flipping on a lamp and getting a piece of paper and a pen.

_Dear Grandmother,_

_ I still don't understand these dreams. I know that they're memories, but…they're much more terrifying than I remember. Everything seems to have been remade to be my own horror. I can't talk to Rose about them, because I don't want to scare her. She saw me whenever I was like this…and I don't want to remind her. I can't sleep very well since he started sending me letters. The memories are becoming too great to bear. I'm not able to sleep anymore...at least peacefully. I know by now you'd probably suggest that I stop being so stubborn and consider counseling, but I can't. I have a duty to fulfill…and that duty is guarding the queen from this monster. Please write back soon…I need your wisdom._

_Love always,_

_ Dimitri_

I put the letter in an envelope and got it all ready before turning off the lamp and crawling back into bed. I pulled Rose close to me and laid there for a few hours, watching her as she slept peacefully and hoping her dreams were better than mine. Around noon, I fell fast asleep, hoping the memories wouldn't return.


	8. Chapter 8

I stared at the Skype screen, my eyes wide and my mouth opened.

"Dimitri, please say something." Viktoria pleaded.

"Y…you're pregnant? Viktoria, when did this happen? You were the last person I'd expect to do this!"

"Told you he'd freak out." Karolina said from the background.

"It happened a few months ago."

"Who's the father? I'm going to kill him."

"He…he's nobody you need to worry about."

"Viktoria, I have a right to know."

"He's some Moroi that I met at a club."

"Did he rape you?"

"No! Of course not! I wanted to…I just didn't expect—"

"To get pregnant?"

"Yes." She said softly.

"You didn't think about the consequences?"

"Not everybody is a stupid robot like you!" She screamed.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I growled, my anger bubbling up.

"Not everyone follows the rules to a T!"

"This isn't about rules, Viktoria! This is about letting some bastard take advantage of you!"

"He didn't take advantage of me!" Somehow her eyes said something else.

"Viktoria, if he did something to you, just tell me."

"I…no. He didn't do anything." She said, her voice choking up.

"Viktoria, he won't hurt you. He won't know. Please, tell me if he did something to you."

"He didn't do anything." She whispered.

"Viktoria," I wanted to be there for her and tell her everything was alright…but I was thousands of miles away, "please."

She looked to be considering it, but shook her head. "Goodnight, Dimitri. I'll talk to you later." She said, tears pouring down her face as she logged off.

I sighed and rested my head in my hands.

"Viktoria's pregnant?" Rose asked, looking curious as she sat down on the bed.

I nodded. "You told me about finding her in Russia with that Moroi."

"Yes. Do you think it was him?"

"I don't know."

"I think the guy drugged her and..." I couldn't finish the sentence.

"She did look upset."

"She was probably at the club, left her drink unattended, and he slipped something in there."

"Date rape drug?"

"Absolutely." I turned around to face her and rubbed my temples. "I need some rest."

She nodded and as I laid down next to her, I let my thoughts wander, sleep never coming.

**Rose's POV**

"…and then she logged off and looked so upset." I said, finishing the story.

"How's Dimitri taking it?" She asked.

I glanced over at Dimitri, sitting on a chair and reading a Western novel as Christian fed. He glanced up and looked around before returning his eyes to the novel.

"He was really upset too. I don't think he got much sleep last night. He was tossing and turning. At one point, he was up and sitting by the window."

"He does look rather tired."

Christian pulled away from the feeder and then Lissa stepped up.

"Do you need to talk?" I asked Dimitri as he walked by.

"Later." He responded, following Christian.

As Lissa fed, I glanced around at everyone in the room instead of at Lissa. I found it easier to not watch.

Finally, she was through and I walked out with her…noticing Dimitri talking to someone.

"Sydney!" I exclaimed.

"Hey." She replied as I ran up to them.

"How are you?"

"I'm alright. Just thought I'd check in on my free time. Nobody knows I'm here…except the person who came with me." She said, jerking her head towards someone leaning against the wall…someone smoking a clove cigarette.

My insides started flipping around and I felt sick. "Hello, Adrian."

He glanced over at me and nodded, turning his attention to something in the distance.

I sighed and turned back to Sydney. "Well, want to grab some lunch?"

"Sure. Adrian, you going to stand there smoking or come with us?"

"Since when do you need me around, Sage?" He inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Forget it. Let's go."

"I didn't say I wasn't coming."

"Then don't be such a smartass next time."

"When am I ever _not _a smartass?"

She rolled her eyes and all of us walked to a restaurant. The waiter led us to a table and we sat down.

"Well, tell me all about your latest…adventures." Sydney said.

"There's this Strigoi called the Shadow, but his real name is Jerome Navishkov. He's been attacking academies in Asia and the United States." I said.

"Navishkov? Isn't that the guy that you've been ranting about, Sage?" Adrian asked, taking interest in the conversation.

"Yes. He's been causing me some trouble too."

"Trouble like?" Dimitri prompted, interested in the conversation.

"He's been wreaking havoc in California, leaving bodies of Strigoi around. Sometimes I'll find humans."

"Why is he killing Strigoi?" Lissa asked.

"He wants info on Dimitri, and if the Strigoi don't have any or if they're still afraid of Dimitri, he'll kill them." Sydney said, taking a sip of her lemon water.

"Some Strigoi still think I'm one of them." Dimitri said, his eyes sweeping around nervously.

"I know. I got a hold of one of them. You made quite an impression."

Dimitri made a strangled noise. "Maybe too good of one."

"You shouldn't be afraid."

"And why's that?"

"Because they're more afraid of what you can do to them."

"And they should be." I said, cutting Dimitri off from whatever he was about to say.

Dimitri rolled his eyes and suddenly his phone went off, making us all jump. He took it off his belt and answered. "Hello?" His face paled a few shades and he stood. "What? When? Is she…? Do I need to…? Karolina! Would you let me finish a sentence? Is she alright? Do I need to come home?" Dimitri took a deep breath. "Is she in the hospital?" He nodded, closing his eyes and massaging his temples.

Lissa gave me a surprised look and I shrugged.

"Alright. I'll stay, but if she gets worse I'm coming home. Goodbye."

"What was that about?" Christian asked, getting glares shot at him.

"Yeva had a stroke. Something scared her and Viktoria found her collapsed in the yard." He sighed, sitting back in the chair.

"Is she alright?"

"She's comatose, but the doctors think she'll wake up soon."

"That's good." Lissa breathed.

"If she gets worse, I'll be going back to Russia."

"I understand. I'm sure Erika could keep an eye on me…or Rose." Christian said, giving me a glance.

I ignored his remark and turned back to Dimitri. "We'll understand."

He nodded and dipped a chip in salsa. "She's always had a weak heart. I just hope it's not too much right now."

I took his hand beneath the table and gave him a reassuring squeeze.


	9. Chapter 9

"Liss, are you sure we should go out tonight?" I asked, even as Dimitri was pulling us out of the protection of the palace.

"I need to get out. I want to be queen, but I've been locked up for a few months." She said, looking over at Christian.

"I just feel like…oh, I don't know. Like something bad is going to happen."

Dimitri looked like he was about to say something, but Lissa cut him off.

"Besides, Rose, you need to get your mind of some stuff. As well as you, Dimitri."

Dimitri didn't say anything and kept his eyes on the road, tapping his vacant foot on the floor.

"Fine, I'll try not to be too overprotective." I said, crossing my arms.

"Thank you. Now, let's go."

As we entered into the mall, I felt as if something was terribly wrong. My breathing picked up and my palms began to sweat.

"Are you alright?" Dimitri asked, feeling my forehead.

"I don't think we should be here." I said, looking around.

Dimitri looked around and then shook his head. "Just stay close to Lissa. We'll meet back here in a few hours." He followed Christian off somewhere and Lissa pulled me into Victoria's Secret.

Great. Dimitri was nowhere near me and I was in a twenty-four hour mall. Strigoi could be anywhere…

Lissa shrieked and I jumped, my head whirling to her. She was laughing and picking up a bra and panty set. "Rose, this would look amazing on you!"

It was black and red lace and looked more like lingerie than something I could wear to a meeting.

"It's beautiful, Liss, but I'd want something more comfortable."

"But, Rose—"

She didn't get to finish before someone grabbed me from behind. She screamed and I yelled for her to run for Dimitri. She took off, leaving me with the Strigoi.

This was a nightmare. Exactly what Dimitri was talking about when he asked me what I would do if a Strigoi attacked in the mall.

I kicked the vampire from behind and he let go to hold himself as I took off. I pushed through the late night shoppers and looked for Dimitri. I spotted him over the crowd and ran to him.

"Roza, thank God." He breathed, catching me.

"We have to get out of here. Now." I said.

He nodded…and that's when a shot rang out. People began screaming and evacuating the mall.

Dimitri cursed, taking a concealed stake from his duster. "Rose, get them out of here."

"I'm not leaving you to deal with them alone."

Another shot rang out, causing Lissa to let out a scream.

"Do it. Please." Dimitri's eyes were desperate and I grudgingly agreed. "I will not die. I will come back to you." He kissed my forehead and disappeared among the rushing crowd.

"Let's go." I said, going into guardian mode and pushing my fear aside.

**Dimitri's POV**

Looking for Strigoi in a rushing crowd was like finding a needle in a haystack. So many people pushed against me as I ran through. I managed to breakaway and then I spotted the Strigoi. At the same time, they spotted me and I recognize one as Jerome.

As I slowly walked up to them, Jerome spoke.

"Belikov, fancy seeing you around here."

"Knock it off, Navishkov. We both know why you're here."

"Honestly. I'm only here to lure you away. As of right now, you're girl is mine."

I cursed in my head and began running back to them, praying that they were alright.

**Rose's POV**

We finally got to the parking lot and I counted no Strigoi.

"Get to the car!" I yelled over the crowd.

Lissa and Christian nodded and ran for it. I looked around and then was knocked down from behind.

"Watch it, jer—" I was lifted up by the throat and thrown at a car. I slammed into it, the wind going from my lungs.

"Jerome did say you were a pretty one." The Strigoi said as I picked myself off the concrete.

"Oh, did he? Did he also mention I've killed more Strigoi than anyone could count?" I retorted.

He smiled. "He never said you could single-handedly take out five at once."

At that, I was surrounded. I pulled my stake out of my coat and circled around, hoping Dimitri would hurry. One lunged and I threw myself out of the way, into the path of another. I screamed and slid underneath his feet, tripping him into another one. My mind was in full survival mode and I was hoping to hold them off until Dimitri showed up.

"Maybe we could have some fun with her before we give her to Jerome?" A Strigoi with a scar said.

"Over. My. Dead. BODY!" I screamed, jamming a stake into him.

He fell to the ground, twitched, and went still. All at once, I was descended upon and overtaken. I felt something get inserted into my neck and I stopped struggling, my body paralyzing. I felt myself getting pulled into unconsciousness and saw a cowboy duster before everything went black.

**Dimitri's POV**

I reached outside just as Rose went down. "_Rose,__no!_" I screamed.

Right before I reached them, they picked her up and vanished into the night. I ran after them in the direction I thought they went and then when I knew I wouldn't be able to find them, I ran back to the car.

"Did you—?" Lissa stopped when she saw my face. "They got her, didn't they?"

"I couldn't save her, but it doesn't mean I'll give up." I said, starting the car and speeding around the block a few times. After searching for two hours, I began heading back to the palace.

I could hear Lissa sobbing in the back and Christian consoling her. I felt like breaking down myself, but knew I couldn't in front of them. "Lissa, we'll get her back. I won't rest until she's back." I said, looking at her through the mirror.

"I know, but what if…what if she's Strigoi?" She choked out.

"You healed me. You can heal Rose."

She sniffled and nodded. "Are you going to get a rescue put together?"

"Of course."

As soon as we reached the court, I took off in search of Janine and Abe.

Once I found them and told them what happened, Janine gasped and I saw tears form in her eyes.

"Abe, we have to get her back." She said, her voice choking up.

He nodded vigorously. "Whoever took her…this is the last mistake they'll ever make."

"I'm sorry. I couldn't save her. I didn't get to her in time." I whispered.

"Dimitri," Janine touched my arm, "you tried. That's all that matters. We'll get her back. I'll call Alberta and others. We won't stop until she's safe."

I nodded and swallowed. "I'm going to my room."

"Goodnight, Dimitri."

Once inside the room, I sat down on the bed, feeling extremely cold. Before I knew it, tears were falling down my face. Then, I was angry.

"Damn you, Jerome." I growled, my fingernails biting into my skin.

I sat down at the computer and wrote Jerome an e-mail.

_Navishkov,_

_You do anything to Rose and I'll make sure your death is slow and painful. She returns to me in less than perfect condition and I'll cut your heart out...after I feed you your throat. You have crossed the line and this will be the last time you ever wrong me. When we find you, you will never see the night again. I'll make sure of it._

_Belikov_

After sending it, I showered and laid down. Suddenly, I felt a rush of tears come on...and then I cried myself to sleep.

**Rose's POV**

I groaned as I felt myself get thrown somewhere. My head hurt like I had had a bolder dropped on it and my stomach was so nauseated. I opened my eyes to the dim light above me and blinked.

"The Sleeping Beauty awakes." A sick voice said.

I gasped and flew back, noticing I was in a cell. Great...flashback to my time in prison. I noticed a Strigoi in front of me. "Jerome." I growled.

"She knows my name. I figured Belikov filled you in."

"Of course he did. He would never keep that from me."

"Oh, but he has kept a lot from you. Has he told you about his time as Strigoi?"

"Bits and pieces."

Jerome laughed and I would have cut his tongue out and fed it to him if I could have. "Belikov sent me an e-mail saying that if you weren't returned to him perfect, he would cut my heart out after he fed me my throat. He's making threats like that to vent anger."

My stomach gave a lurch and I turned to vomit. Jerome sighed. "Just an effect."

"What did those bastards inject me with?" I demanded, wiping my lips.

"A tranquilizer. You'll be alright...for now." He laughed like a villein from a movie and began walking off.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" I threw myself against the bars and then picked up the stool, banging it against them. "Hey! Come back! I'm not through with you, you sick bastard!" I continued to bang to stool and scream, hoping to catch his attention again.

When he didn't show, I threw the stool and then sat down on the bed provided. _Hurry, Dimitri. _I thought, curling up and closing my eyes against the tear flow.

Soon, I fell asleep knowing Dimitri would go through Hell and back to get me...with the help of Mom and Abe._  
_


	10. Chapter 10

For three hours I paced my cell like a…well…like a caged animal. The only time I had contact with people was when Navishkov brought me my food…which I promptly ignored until he came into the cell and made a show of proving the food wasn't poisoned.

Finally, I took a bite the damning pepperoni pizza (having a major flashback to my captivity in Russia) and after realizing I wasn't dead, I ate everything.

Navishkov sat there on the bed and watched me scarf everything down with slight amusement.

"Dimitri said you liked pepperoni. I don't think I've ever seen someone eat something so fast." He said after I was finished.

I glared at him and sat cross-legged on the floor, making a show of inspecting my fingernails.

"You sure struck fear into the Strigoi with all those stakings last year."

I rolled my eyes, but didn't look up from my nails until he forced me to by jerking my chin up. I didn't even realize he had moved.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you." He growled, his red eyes glaring into mine.

"Sorry. I don't associate with sadistic bastards. You know what they teach you in kindergarten…strange danger." Next thing I knew, I was thrown across the room into the wall. I winced as my back made contact, but knew to never scream. Screaming meant that you had lost the fight and that most surely would insure the kill.

"Belikov taught you well." The murderous Strigoi sneered.

"I learned from the best." I grunted, pushing myself up.

Navishkov walked over to me and wiped away a tear that had escaped from my eyes. "Hmm…I won't do anything worse until Belikov shows up. Until then…you live. Once he arrives, I'll kill you. Right. In. Front. Of. Him." With that, he left the cell.

**Dimitri's POV**

I never cry. The last time I had cried was the time that Lissa turned me back dhampir, but knowing that Rose was in the hands of someone who could murder her any second and knowing that if I had just ignored looking for Jerome, I could have saved her…that was my downfall.

About eight o'clock at night, there was a knock on my door. I roused myself from sleep and opened the door.

"Belikov, you're needed downstairs." Janine said.

I nodded and threw on my guardian apparel and pulled my hair back before running out the door.

"Have the others arrived?" I asked, following Janine down a hallway.

"Alberta and Stan are here. Eddie Castile insisted on coming and helping immediately after Sydney Sage told him what was going on. Believe it or not even Adrian is helping." She said.

"That's it?"

"The small squad that was helping Rose guard Queen Vasilisa."

"This isn't enough to help."

"Dimitri, we'll get enough." She assured.

We arrived at a meeting room and I noticed everyone gathered around.

"Guardian Belikov, it's great to see you again." Alberta said, nodding.

"As I am joyful to see you too." Stan said…although it was more of a sneer.

I nodded at them both and noticed the maps spread out across the table. As I studied them more, I noticed it was a map of the surrounding area and Russia.

"Any ideas?" Eddie asked.

I took the marker next to the maps and began circling places around the mall and in Siberia.

"The Strigoi hideout that I…lived was near the tip of Siberia where there is hardly any sunlight. I remember Navishkov's base being up there whenever we visited too. It was an abandoned warehouse, but I highly doubt they're there right now. I'd suggest that they're somewhere around this area." I said, circling an area in the middle of a forest.

"What gives you that idea?" Alberta asked, leaning next to me.

"Because it's only an hour away from the mall that she was taken at…and that's the general direction they were heading."

That seemed a satisfactory answer and she said, "We'll start there first. I have more guardians arriving in the next few hours. We'll strike as soon as they get here."

I sharply nodded and capped the marker, setting it down next to the maps. "Where is Lissa?" I asked.

Alberta and Janine exchanged glances. "She had a panic attack last night and she's in the infirmary."

"Why wasn't I informed of this immediately?" I demanded.

"Because we knew you were having just as much trouble."

I sighed and rubbed my temples. "We strike as soon as they arrive." I repeated, walking out of the room.

**Lissa's POV**

"Are you sure you don't want a drink?" Christian asked.

I nodded, resisting the urge to scratch the wrappings around my wrist. Christian put his hand over mine. I looked up at him, tears brimming in my eyes.

"She has to be alright." I whispered.

He wrapped his arms around me as I began sobbing into his chest again. He ran his hand over my hair, whispering that everything would be okay and that Rose would be back soon.

"I don't want her to become Strigoi. I don't want her to die." I sobbed.

"She won't die or become Strigoi. She'll make sure of it."

"I just wish we still had the bond. I could sense that she was still alive."

"She's still alive, Liss. You'd somehow know without the bond that she was dead."

I looked up at him and nodded. "You're right."

He smiled and softly kissed me. "When am I ever wrong?"

I began suddenly feeling tired and I started to fall asleep in his arms.

"Don't leave me." I whispered.

"I won't." He said softly, kissing my forehead.

**Rose's POV**

After a few more hours of being locked up, I could sense some activity happening as guards began running around and shouting at each other.

"Hey! You!" I yelled at one of them.

They stopped and looked no older than me. "Yes?"

"What's going on?"

"There's been a breech. Don't get any ideas." And with that he was gone.

I had a good feeling as to _who_ was breeching…and what their primary goal was.

I began looking around for something I could pick a lock with…and then I remembered a bobby pin in my pocket. I pulled it out and looked outside the cell for any sign of people before jiggling it inside the lock.

_Bingo._ I thought when it clicked open.

I scrambled out and then ran down the hallway. Whenever I was halfway down, someone grabbed a hold of me.

"What the f—?" I almost screamed until their hand came around my mouth.

"You never shut up, Rose."

"Eddie! What the hell is your problem?" I stage-whispered.

He grinned and handed me a stake. "You'll need this. Follow me."

"How'd you get in?" I asked as we went through the maze-like halls.

"Sydney cracked the code, Adrian used major compulsion the guards to let us through, and then we breeched."

"How many guardians are here?"

"Mmm…around thirty."

"Where's Dimitri?"

"Looking for Navishkov."

"Damn him. We need to find him."

"I agree."

**Dimitri's POV**

_**On the ground I lay, motionless in pain.  
I can see my life passing before my eyes.  
Did I fall asleep? Is this all a dream?  
Wake me up.  
I'm living a nightmare.  
**_

Leaving Eddie to find Rose, I made my way upstairs to where I knew Jerome was. I sneaked through the halls and passed guards, hoping that my assumptions were correct. I knew as soon as I entered the study at the end of the hall that this was Navishkov's place.

"Belikov, I always knew you were smart, but eventually it will be your downfall." He said as a greeting. He had his back turned…which meant he thought I could do damage.

"I don't think knowledge could be someone's downfall. I do believe knowledge is power."

"Whoever came up with that saying is a fool. Knowledge is not power."

"Then what is power?"

"Power is getting what you want…with your own two hands."

Suddenly, I was thrown against his bookshelf, causing most of it to fall on me.

_**I will not die. I will survive.**_

I whipped out my stake and charged for him, diverting his hands almost nonchalantly.

"Even as a dhampir you are quite extraordinary with your fighting abilities."

"Thanks." I said sarcastically.

We fought for what seemed like hours as our hands and feet connected with each other or were deflected. I would do a roundhouse kick or punch and he would block it or vise versa. I hadn't fought Navishkov before, but he was a worthy opponent. The whole time I was fighting him, I thought about all that he had done to Rose and to my family. Everything he has done to the academies and his numerous victims.

Finally, the fighting started to take its toll on me and my movements became weak. That's all he needed.

He whipped out a knife and before I could push it away, it tore through my chest. I gasped and my eyes widened in surprise as I looked down at it. I coughed and blood splattered at my feet. I staggered backwards and then fell in a heap on the ground.

"Goodbye, Belikov. It was an honor to know you." Navishkov whispered before disappearing.

My hand reached up and I jerked the knife out, convulsing at the pain and spitting blood out onto the floor. Darkness began shrouding my vision and when I was about to give in…Rose flashed across my eyes.

"No." I gasped, forcing myself to hang on until she arrived.

_**I will not die. I'll wait here for you.  
I feel alive when you're beside me.  
I will not die. I'll wait here for you.  
In my time of dying.**_

I would not die without seeing her once more…until touching her once more...without feeling her kiss once more. Only then would I die.

**Rose's POV**

Eddie and I ran through the halls, looking for Dimitri and a sign of the others. Finally, we caught up with everyone.

"Where's Dimitri?" I asked, looking at their faces.

They glanced at each other and shrugged.

I had a very bad feeling beginning in the pit of my stomach and I tore down the hallway, flying up a path of stairs. I ran to the door at the end of the hall and screamed, "DIMITRI!"

He was laying in the midst of a pool of blood that I knew wasn't Strigoi and had a knife clutched in his hand. His skin was deathly pale and his eyes were closed.

I threw myself down next to him, tears pouring down my face. "Dimitri, open your eyes! Say something!" I begged.

I realized he was breathing and I pushed him onto his back, pressing my hands against his wound. He spit blood out onto his chin and opened his eyes a little.

"Ro…za." He whispered, reaching up to touch my face.

"It'll be okay. Everything will be alright." I said, pushing onto the wound and screaming for help.

"May…be…not."

"Don't say that."

"Rose, I…know…that I'm…not invince…able."

"I know you're not either. Damn it! When will they hurry up?" I exclaimed, trying to keep myself calm as Dimitri's blood flowed over my fingers and saturated my clothing.

"Rose…I…love…you. And if…I die…I want you…to know…" His voice trailed off and his breath caught.

"You want me to know what? Damn it, Dimitri. Tell me. Please." I prompted.

"You…are the…best thing…that has…ever happened…to me."

"I love you too." I whispered, leaning down and kissing his bloody mouth.

I heard running footsteps and then my mother gasp. "We need a medic NOW!" She yelled at the others.

That's when Dimitri convulsed and when he stopped, he dropped down…not breathing.

**Dimitri's POV**

_Everything was white. There was no color to wherever I was as I wandered around this area of white. I heard someone calling my name over and over again. I wanted to go towards the voice, but I didn't know where it was coming from. Suddenly, the voice was all I heard as it began getting louder and adding on words._

"_DIMITRI, COME BACK!" It screamed. "PLEASE! I NEED YOU!"_

_Then…_

I was slammed back into my body and I flew up, gasping for breath.

"Dimitri!" A voice said anxiously.

I couldn't see anyone and I just gasped for air and tried to figure out where I was.

"Get him calmed down before he goes into cardiac arrest!" A voice yelled.

"Where the hell are the sedatives? Come on, damn it! The freaking sedatives!"

"Son of a-"

I began thrashing at people trying to restrain me before something was injected into me…and then I passed out as I felt someone's hand slip into mine.

**Whew! That was a bit longer than most of my chapters, but I do hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! **

**I do not own The Vampire Academy series nor do I own the song Time of Dying. They belong to Richelle Mead and Three Days Grace!**


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